Reporter Bob Condotta grades Seahawks’ road win vs. Falcons

ATLANTA — This felt like what the Seahawks truly want to be under head coach Mike Macdonald.

While the Seahawks won their first three games, each game seemed incomplete, each carrying the caveat of the opponent depending on a rookie or backup quarterback.

There’s no asterisks to Seattle’s 34-14 victory Sunday over Atlanta and a Kirk Cousins-led Falcons team that had won three of its past four.

The Seahawks took the opening kickoff and scored a field goal and never trailed. They quickly rebuffed the Falcons every time the home team seemed about to take the lead, if not control.

They did so by winning the turnover battle 3-0, committing just five penalties to Atlanta’s nine, and holding the Falcons to just 39 yards rushing on 16 carries after Atlanta gained 116 on 16 in the first half.

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“Team win,’’ Macdonald said of his message to his players.

Indeed it was as the Seahawks won all three phases decisively.

On to the grades.

Quarterback

This was Geno Smith’s most efficient game of the season, as well as making the right plays at all the right times. His numbers don’t stand out — 18 of 28 for 207 yards. But what does is two touchdowns against no interceptions and the way he managed the offense, rushing four times for 15 yards and several times escaping rushes to find receivers for needed gains. He didn’t miss when the opportunities were there, notably the 31-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf at the end of the first half and he spotted Kenneth Walker III in a favorable matchup, changing the play at the line of scrimmage to throw him a 17-yard TD in the third quarter.

Grade: A.

Running back

Walker gamely battled through an illness that saw him added to the status report Saturday as questionable to not only rush for a 20-yard touchdown in the first half but also catch two passes for 24 yards and a TD. Zach Charbonnet spelled Walker more than he might normally to allow Walker to rest, and while he had just 19 yards on eight carries, 7 yards came when he converted a fourth-and-one to set up Walker’s touchdown catch that put the Seahawks ahead by two possessions for good.

Grade: A.

Receiver

Metcalf and Smith got back on the same page this week after some uncharacteristic miscues against the 49ers. A defensive pass interference on a pass to Metcalf on the second play and a 22-yard completion on the fifth set the tone. The 31-yard touchdown might have been the play of the game, and Metcalf made the kind of leaping grab few can for a 35-yard gain on a trick-play pass from Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Tyler Lockett had four grabs for 45 yards, including consecutive grabs of 16 and 15 yards that got them in position for the Smith-Metcalf TD before the half. A couple drops were the only blemish.

Grade: A-minus.

Tight end

There was one big negative — a holding penalty on AJ Barner that wiped out an apparent 13-yard touchdown run by Walker on the first series. Otherwise this was a good day as the blocking on the edge appeared as solid as it has been all season. Noah Fant had four receptions for 65 yards, including a 28-yarder when he took a short pass from a scrambling Smith to convert a third down and set up their first TD.

Grade: A.

Offensive line

All the worry about the Seahawks having to start rookie Michael Jerrell at right tackle vanished quickly. Jerrell walled off Atlanta edge rusher Matthew Judon several times in the first quarter on running plays as the Seahawks showed early they were committed to making that a key part of their game plan. He teamed with fellow rookie guard Christian Haynes to open up a wide hole for Walker’s 20-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Overall this felt like the OL’s best day of the year.

Grade: B-plus.

Defensive line

What a difference it made having Byron Murphy II back and adding Roy Robertson-Harris to the mix. Putting them alongside Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed, the Seahawks appeared to get as much of an interior-line push as they have all season. Having Murphy back inside allowed Dre’Mont Jones to play mostly on the end, which led to what might have been Jones’ best game as a Seahawk as he had a sack, two tackles-for-a-loss, four quarterback hits and a pass defense. Robertson-Harris had five tackles, Murphy four and Williams a sack.

Grade: A.

Outside linebackers

Starting edge rushers Boye Mafe and Derick Hall appeared as healthy as they’ve been in a few weeks, and with the Falcons having to worry about the interior, each had big days, fittingly teaming up for one of the game’s biggest play — Mafe’s sack and forced fumble of Cousins and Hall’s 64-yard scoop-and-score touchdown that sealed the victory in the fourth quarter. The only caveat would be to have the rush be just a little more consistent.

Grade: B-plus.

Inside linebackers

There were some nervous moments in the first half when the Falcons seemed to be getting their running game going. But MLB Tyrel Dodson and WLB Jerome Baker helped close down the running lanes in the second half and finished with seven and six tackles, respectively.

Grade: B.

Cornerback

The Seahawks went with a different alignment than most had anticipated, with rookie Nehemiah Pritchett and practice squad call-up Josh Jobe playing the outside spots, allowing Devon Witherspoon to play the nickel. It wasn’t all perfect, but it was better than most might have anticipated as the Seahawks didn’t allow a pass to a receiver for longer than 20 yards, with the cornerbacks forcing Cousins to check the ball down, or keeping things in front of them when he did get it to a receiver.

Grade: B-plus.

Safety

Instead of K’Von Wallace as a starting safety with Rayshawn Jenkins out, the Seahawks went with Coby Bryant playing alongside Julian Love. It looks like a genius decision as Bryant responded with 11 tackles and his first career interception and teamed with Love to also keep big plays to a minimum. Atlanta didn’t have a running play of longer than 9 yards in the second half, and only two passing plays of longer than 17 (20 and 24). Love also had an interception and nine tackles.

Grade: A.

Special teams

Nothing to complain about here as Jason Myers hit a 59-yard field goal (just off his career high of 61) while Dee Williams had a kickoff return of 34 and a punt return of 18 and the Seahawks won the kick and punt coverage battles.

Grade: A.

Coaching

This felt like the first real crisis time for Macdonald and his staff. They seemed to respond as well as you could have hoped, with Macdonald preaching a realistic, yet positive, view of his team publicly all week — and apparently to the players — and the team then responding with its best game of the season. A big positive for the long-term direction of the team.

Grade: A.